As well as being the managing director of Pizza Hut Delivery, Mr Fox has worked for catering group Compass.

He said that he was looking forward to “building on the momentum the team is creating for the business”.

Starbucks revealed in June that it had paid its first corporation tax for four years in June after a row over its tax bill that saw the company criticised by the Public Accounts Committee of MPs.

The appointment of Mr Fox was announced as Starbucks became the latest foreign company to be criticised by China’s state-owned media.

China Central Television claimed that Starbucks is charging customers in China more than in other countries. As an example, it said a medium-sized latte at a coffee shop in Beijing cost one-third more than a store in Chicago.

Starbucks said this is due to the different operating costs in China compared to the US, with import duties and sales taxes driving up the price of coffee.